Ex-Rutgers quarterback Philip Nelson and victim once dated the same girl, source says

MANKATO, Minn. – The root of Rutgers quarterback Philip Nelson's resentment toward the 24-year-old father he allegedly kicked in the head at least once outside a bar might have gone beyond the confrontation in the early morning hours Sunday.

This town of roughly 40,000 -- referred to as simply "Kato" by locals -- isn't just a college town as the home of Minnesota State University-Mankato. It's also home to some fierce prep and high school football rivalries.

Nelson, the star quarterback, went to West High. Isaac Kolstad, the overachieving ex-linebacker who lays in a hospital bed in critical condition, went to rival East High. According to Todd Miller, Mankato's public safety director, the two "know each other and played football against each other in Mankato in high school."

But there's another -- more personal -- rivalry in their pasts: Nelson and Kolstad have dated the same girl, one person who knows both men told NJ.com. The person requested anonymity because of the seriousness of the case.

"You had some decisions that were made by some individuals that probably had some impaired thinking," Blue Earth County assistant district attorney Patrick McDermott told reporters after Nelson's arraignment on Monday. "Those decisions will affect many lives for years to come."

Nelson, who transferred from the University of Minnesota to Rutgers at the end of last
season because he had lost his starting job, appeared in court for 10 minutes Monday afternoon, dressed in orange jail fatigues, his hands and feet shackled. His parents watched as Blue Earth District County Judge Bradley Walker set bail at $20,000, an amount he said was based on guidelines for offenders with no criminal history.

Rutgers quarterback Philip Nelson leaves jail on Monday after posting bond on his $20,000 bail. He is accused of kicking an unconscious man in the head. (A.J. Perez/NJ.com)

Nelson "was not the aggressor in this situation," his attorney, Jim Fleming, told the
judge. "The man in the red shirt rendered the young man unconscious."

Police said a suspect in a red shirt punched Kolstad and knocked him unconscious
before Nelson kicked him in the head. Police are still looking for that man and have released still photos and videos in an attempt to identify and apprehend him.

Police said Nelson was angered after a bouncer at a bar kissed the hand of his current girlfriend, Malorie Veroeven, identified in the criminal complaint as "M.V." and not the woman Nelson and Kolstad have in common, the source said. Nelson mistakenly thought Kolstad was the bouncer, according to court documents.

From there, history, bad blood and alcohol took over, police said.

Blue Bricks, the bar at the center of the assault in the early morning hours on Sunday, is part of what college kids call the "Barmuda Triangle." Blue Bricks was partially full Monday night, a contrast to the crowds that filled establishments on Front Street on Saturday night. School was out, and commencement took place earlier Saturday, making it one of the top party weekends of the year.

Veroeven -- who is underage and had been drinking, police said -- told an investigating officer that the couple had gone downtown "to hang out and visit," and that the bouncer's advance had angered Nelson because "he is very protective of her."

When Nelson and Kolstad ran into each other later in the night, a witness, described as Kolstad's friend, told police there was a "heated verbal exchange," the complaint said. The witness said Nelson mentioned his girlfriend being kissed but wasn't sure if Nelson was accusing Kolstad. In another part, the criminal complaint suggests Nelson believed Kolstad was the bouncer.

After Kolstad had "raised his arm and struck" Nelson in the back, Kolstad was sucker-punched by the other suspect, police said. Nelson told police he didn't know the man who threw the punch, but the person who knew of the dating history between the two men said the man was a friend of Nelson's, although that person didn't know his name.

As Kolstad lay unconscious on the street, Kolstad's friend told police that Nelson pushed past him to get to Kolstad. The friend told police "he watched Nelson kick (Kolstad) in the head once, possibly two times."

He described Nelson's demeanor as "calm but nervous" and told police that Veroeven "was hysterical and yelling and screaming at Nelson," according to the complaint.

At the police station, Nelson told investigators he didn't recall kicking Kolstad, but Mankato police Sgt. Jeff Knutson reviewed footage from the city's surveillance cameras and said Kolstad set off the events when he struck Nelson in the back.

That blow sent Nelson and another witness to the ground, Knutson said. Kolstad was moving away when the suspect in the red shirt broke free from a man restraining him, ran toward Kolstad and "delivered a punch to the face/head area of (Kolstad, who)
immediately goes limp and collapses to the pavement," Knutson said.

Nelson, 20, was arrested minutes later. Police said he had bloodshot eyes and officers smelled the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath. Police have not released any information on whether Kolstad had been drinking or was intoxicated.

The left side of Kolstad's skull is fractured, according to the criminal complaint. A neurosurgeon at the hospital told investigators he "was not sure if (Kolstad) would survive."

Fleming argued that "it is yet to be established what caused the injuries."

Police asked the public's help for the man who threw the punch that knocked out Kolstad. The alleged assailant was described as a male in his early 20s wearing a red shirt --- which police believe was torn during the incident -- and khaki shorts.

Nelson played the first two seasons of his collegiate career at the University of Minnesota, mostly as a starter. He transferred to Rutgers and took part recently in spring practice, although he was scheduled to sit out the 2014 season under NCAA transfer rules. Rutgers, when asked Nelson's status in light of the charges, said in a statement that it was still collecting information on the incident.

Kolstad played linebacker at the Minnesota State University-Mankato after he began his career at North Dakota State.